How I Use My Credit Cards To Save On Black Friday Bankrate Caret RightMain Menu Mortgage Mortgages Financing a home purchase Refinancing your existing loan Finding the right lender Additional Resources Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Bank Banking Compare Accounts Use calculators Get advice Bank reviews Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Credit Card Credit cards Compare by category Compare by credit needed Compare by issuer Get advice Looking for the perfect credit card? Narrow your search with CardMatch Caret RightMain Menu Loan Loans Personal Loans Student Loans Auto Loans Loan calculators Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Invest Investing Best of Brokerages and robo-advisors Learn the basics Additional resources Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Home Equity Home equity Get the best rates Lender reviews Use calculators Knowledge base Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Loan Home Improvement Real estate Selling a home Buying a home Finding the right agent Additional resources Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Insurance Insurance Car insurance Homeowners insurance Other insurance Company reviews Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Retirement Retirement Retirement plans & accounts Learn the basics Retirement calculators Additional resources Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Advertiser Disclosure
Advertiser Disclosure
We are an independent, advertising-supported comparison service. Our goal is to help you make smarter financial decisions by providing you with interactive tools and financial calculators, publishing original and objective content, by enabling you to conduct research and compare information for free - so that you can make financial decisions with confidence.
Bankrate has partnerships with issuers including, but not limited to, American Express, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citi and Discover. SHARE: On This Page
Hinterhaus Productions/Getty Images November 04, 2022 Checkmark Bankrate logo How is this page expert verified? At Bankrate, we take the accuracy of our content seriously. "Expert verified" means that our Financial Review Board thoroughly evaluated the article for accuracy and clarity. The Review Board comprises a panel of financial experts whose objective is to ensure that our content is always objective and balanced. Their reviews hold us accountable for publishing high-quality and trustworthy content. Nicole Dieker has been a full-time freelance writer since 2012—and a personal finance enthusiast since 2004, when she graduated from college and, looking for financial guidance, found a battered copy of Your Money or Your Life at the public library. In addition to writing for Bankrate, her work has appeared on CreditCards.com, Vox, Lifehacker, Popular Science, The Penny Hoarder, The Simple Dollar and NBC News. Dieker spent five years as writer and editor for The Billfold, a personal finance blog where people had honest conversations about money. Dieker also teaches writing, freelancing and publishing classes and works one-on-one with authors as a developmental editor and copyeditor. Cathleen's stories on design, travel and business have appeared in dozens of publications including the Washington Post, Town & Country, Wall Street Journal, Marie Claire, Fodor’s Travel, Departures and The Writer. Mariah Ackary is a personal finance editor who joined the Bankrate team in 2019, excited by the opportunity to help people make good financial decisions. Send your questions to Bankrate logo The Bankrate promise
At Bankrate we strive to help you make smarter financial decisions. While we adhere to strict editorial integrity, this post may contain references to products from our partners. Here's an explanation for how we make money. The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of the offers mentioned may have expired. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. Bankrate logo The Bankrate promise
At Bankrate, we have a mission to demystify the credit cards industry — regardless or where you are in your journey — and make it one you can navigate with confidence. Our team is full of a diverse range of experts from credit card pros to data analysts and, most importantly, people who shop for credit cards just like you. With this combination of expertise and perspectives, we keep close tabs on the credit card industry year-round to: Meet you wherever you are in your credit card journey to guide your information search and help you understand your options. Consistently provide up-to-date, reliable market information so you're well-equipped to make confident decisions. Reduce industry jargon so you get the clearest form of information possible, so you can make the right decision for you. At Bankrate, we focus on the points consumers care about most: rewards, welcome offers and bonuses, APR, and overall customer experience. Any issuers discussed on our site are vetted based on the value they provide to consumers at each of these levels. At each step of the way, we fact-check ourselves to prioritize accuracy so we can continue to be here for your every next. Bankrate logo Editorial integrity
Bankrate follows a strict , so you can trust that we’re putting your interests first. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions. Key Principles
We value your trust. Our mission is to provide readers with accurate and unbiased information, and we have editorial standards in place to ensure that happens. Our editors and reporters thoroughly fact-check editorial content to ensure the information you’re reading is accurate. We maintain a firewall between our advertisers and our editorial team. Our editorial team does not receive direct compensation from our advertisers. Editorial Independence
Bankrate’s editorial team writes on behalf of YOU – the reader. Our goal is to give you the best advice to help you make smart personal finance decisions. We follow strict guidelines to ensure that our editorial content is not influenced by advertisers. Our editorial team receives no direct compensation from advertisers, and our content is thoroughly fact-checked to ensure accuracy. So, whether you’re reading an article or a review, you can trust that you’re getting credible and dependable information. Bankrate logo How we make money
You have money questions. Bankrate has answers. Our experts have been helping you master your money for over four decades. We continually strive to provide consumers with the expert advice and tools needed to succeed throughout life’s financial journey. Bankrate follows a strict , so you can trust that our content is honest and accurate. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions. The content created by our editorial staff is objective, factual, and not influenced by our advertisers. We’re transparent about how we are able to bring quality content, competitive rates, and useful tools to you by explaining how we make money. Bankrate.com is an independent, advertising-supported publisher and comparison service. We are compensated in exchange for placement of sponsored products and, services, or by you clicking on certain links posted on our site. Therefore, this compensation may impact how, where and in what order products appear within listing categories. Other factors, such as our own proprietary website rules and whether a product is offered in your area or at your self-selected credit score range can also impact how and where products appear on this site. While we strive to provide a wide range offers, Bankrate does not include information about every financial or credit product or service. Black Friday is the start of one of the of the year — and savvy shoppers are already getting ready to take advantage of doorbuster deals, price comparison tools and other money-saving tips and tricks. Of course, saving money on every purchase is only part of the Black Friday experience. If you know the best , you can earn valuable rewards as you shop the sales and prepare for the holidays — and some of those rewards could be worth more than you realize. We asked Scott Lieberman, COO of and founder of TouchDownMoney.com, how he uses credit cards to save money on Black Friday. Here’s what you need to know — whether you’re hoping to maximize your credit card rewards, earn a sign-up bonus or rack up enough miles to fly first class on your next vacation. Use Black Friday to maximize bonus category rewards
If you have a , you already know that you can earn industry-leading cash back, points or miles on specific shopping categories. Some bonus category rewards cards are designed to reward , for example. Others reward . There are even bonus category rewards cards for . Lieberman uses his bonus category rewards cards to earn cash back on Black Friday purchases. “This Black Friday, my plan is to maximize credit card rewards on my Chase Freedom Flex and Discover it cards,” he says. The and the cards are both , which means their highest-earning bonus category rewards rotate every quarter. This year, the Chase Freedom Flex’s fourth-quarter bonuses include five points per dollar on Walmart and PayPal purchases — and the Discover it card is offering 5 percent cash back on Amazon.com and purchases made through . “I’ll be using my Discover It card to earn five percent cash back on up to $1,500 spent at Amazon.com from October through December 2022,” says Lieberman. “I’ll earn $75 cash back. The Chase Freedom Flex is offering five points per dollar spent, up to $1,500 at Walmart from October through December 2022. That’s a maximum of $75.” Use Black Friday to fund upcoming travel
If you want to use credit cards to save money on Black Friday, earning cash back and points on Black Friday purchases is only the first step. You also need to know how to , especially if you’re hoping to use those rewards to fund an upcoming purchase, such as a vacation. “Instead of redeeming my Chase Ultimate Rewards points as cash back, I move those Chase points to my Chase Sapphire Preferred card,” says Lieberman. The card is one of . Like many rewards aficionados, Lieberman takes advantage of the , and transfers the Ultimate Rewards points he earns with his Freedom Flex to his Chase Sapphire Preferred account. Many people do this so they can book travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards, increasing the value of their points by 25 percent in the process. Others, including Lieberman, move their points to the Chase Sapphire Preferred so they can transfer those points to one of the — and get even more value. “Moving my Chase points to the Chase Sapphire Preferred card allows me to transfer the points to partners like United, Southwest, JetBlue and Hyatt to get way more than $75 worth of travel,” Lieberman explains. “This strategy has helped me pay for using points, not money!” Use Black Friday to meet sign-up bonus requirements
In addition to using Black Friday as an opportunity to earn and redeem credit card rewards, you could also use your Black Friday purchases to meet the spending requirements for your next . Many people spend a lot of money on Black Friday, after all — which means that if you before you begin your holiday shopping, your purchases could help you earn a sign-up bonus worth several hundred dollars. Worried you won’t be able to buy enough gifts to meet the spending requirement? Try combining holiday purchases with everyday necessities. Or consider using the Black Friday sales as an opportunity to invest in or . “In previous years, I’ve used Black Friday to stock up on business purchases I’ll be using throughout the year,” says Lieberman. “This helped me meet the minimum spending requirement on the Chase Ink Business Preferred to earn the massive sign-up bonus.” The massive bonus he refers to: The credit card offers 100,000 bonus points for cardholders who make $15,000 in purchases in the first three months of account ownership. Ultimate Rewards points redeemed via Sapphire Preferred or Ink Business Preferred at 1.25 cents when redeemed through the Chase travel portal, and up to 2 cents when transferred to travel partners. “Currently, that bonus is worth $1,000 cash, $1,250 in travel purchases through Chase’s travel booking site or $2,000+, depending on how you use the points with airline and hotel partners like Marriott and British Airways,” says Lieberman. If you aren’t a small business owner but are looking for similar travel rewards, consider applying for instead. The Chase Sapphire Preferred has the same $95 annual fee as the Ink Preferred, and offers new cardholders 60,000 bonus points if they spend $4,000 within the first three months of account opening. Sapphire Preferred points have the same value as the Ink Preferred (1.25 cents) when redeemed through the Chase travel portal. The more premium card offers 80,000 bonus points to cardholders who spend $4,000 within the first three months. Sapphire Reserve has a heftier ($550) annual fee, but comes with better perks and earns points worth more when redeemed through the Chase travel portal — 1.5 cents vs. 1.25 cents. The bottom line
There are many different ways to — and when you choose the right credit cards for your purchases, you can save even more. Whether you use Black Friday as an opportunity to earn a credit card welcome bonus or plan your Black Friday shopping around bonus category rewards, there are plenty of ways to use your credit cards to rack up cash back, points and miles. If you follow Lieberman’s example and redeem your credit card rewards for their maximum potential value, you can get the most out of every Black Friday purchase. SHARE: Nicole Dieker has been a full-time freelance writer since 2012—and a personal finance enthusiast since 2004, when she graduated from college and, looking for financial guidance, found a battered copy of Your Money or Your Life at the public library. In addition to writing for Bankrate, her work has appeared on CreditCards.com, Vox, Lifehacker, Popular Science, The Penny Hoarder, The Simple Dollar and NBC News. Dieker spent five years as writer and editor for The Billfold, a personal finance blog where people had honest conversations about money. Dieker also teaches writing, freelancing and publishing classes and works one-on-one with authors as a developmental editor and copyeditor. Cathleen's stories on design, travel and business have appeared in dozens of publications including the Washington Post, Town & Country, Wall Street Journal, Marie Claire, Fodor’s Travel, Departures and The Writer. Mariah Ackary is a personal finance editor who joined the Bankrate team in 2019, excited by the opportunity to help people make good financial decisions. Send your questions to Related Articles